Student organizations will have to pay to print posters until January.
The once free service offered at the Alvin Sherman library was temporarily discontinued after the library’s large-scale printer broke. The printing services were re-directed to NSU’s Copy Center in the administrative services building, across from the University Park Plaza. However, students now have to pay $10 for a 2 x 3 poster and $20 for a 3 X 4 poster.
Bonnie Jackson, manager of copy services, said she didn’t want students going outside of the university to print posters because it is so expensive, but that the center had to charge a small fee to maintain its operation.
“At our competitors, $86 is the going rate [for printing a large poster], so we decided that we wanted to help the students. We can’t do it for free because we have leases on our equipment, salaries for our staff and we have to buy supplies,” she said.
Jackson said the Copy Center does not make a profit from charging students to print posters.
Vanissa Benjamin, junior communications studies major and President of CAUSE, said, “I think it’s very good that they are trying to help the students out as much as possible. Even though we’re not getting it for free it still helps that it’s cheaper.”
Jackson said, at first, the price caught students off guard because nobody told them they had to pay.
“Now, they come here and they’re not upset anymore. It’s settled down. It’s just making them figure out how they can pay for it. I think it’s making them get more creative,” said Jackson.
Benjamin said the cost has caused student organizations to cut back on the amount of posters they print.
“You don’t really see that many posters going out [anymore] because, even though it’s $10, that’s still a lot of money to students, especially if they’re not working. After awhile it can build up, especially if you want to have more than one poster.”
Natalie Cruz, sophomore legal studies major, Organizational Standards Board member of the undergraduate SGA and member of Delta Phi Epsilon, said, “We have a restricted budget so we have to add that into our budget and, since we have so many events, it accumulates and affects how much we can spend. I also hear other organizations complain because SGA funds them, and they’re always complaining about prices.”
Students also have to pay $5 to laminate posters and $5 to mount them. But, Jackson said, those services have always had a charge.
Eddie (Supanchit) Jitpraphai, director of the Office of Student Media and Information, said the new printer, which should be available for student use in January, will be housed under the Division of Student Affairs with direct operation by the Office of Student Media and Information.
“We received the full support from President Hanbury to continue this service for students. Due to the fact that it’s directly for students and their activities and events, we saw that it was appropriate to have it under the oversight of the Division of Student Affairs, which the Office of Student Media and Information is a part of,” she said.
The new printer will be located in the Rosenthal Student Center in room 216.
Benjamin said she’s happy it will be in Rosenthal because it is a big inconvenience to go to the copy center.
“Before [the printer] was in the library which was a central location for everyone. Even though it’s [the copy center] across from the UPP, it’s still a bit of a drive or walk just to go there, especially if you want to go in between classes,” said Benjamin.
After several attempts to contact Leonard Pounds, director of computing facilities and field engineering overseer of the printer in the library, he did not respond regarding when and how the printer broke.
